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One of the most fundamental mechanisms any novice Pokémon TCG player has to familiarize themselves with is evolving their Pokémon during a duel. Pokémon cards play much differently from the main series games, which means you’ll have to relearn simple concepts, such as evolution, in the way they were designed for TCG.
This guide will take you through all the necessary steps required to evolve Pokémon mid-battle, so hang tight and get your notepads out since this will come in extremely handy during your competitive games.
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What Is Evolution In Pokémon TCG
Evolving is the mechanism through which Pokémon ascend into their higher-stage forms. The ‘Stage’ of a Pokémon is denoted by the inscription written on the top-left corner of any card. This will always be one of ‘Basic’, ‘Stage-1’, and ‘Stage-2’.
Basic forms can only evolve into their respective Stage-1 forms, and Stage-1 forms can only evolve into Stage-2. Ultimately, the evolution process will often make your existing Pokémon much stronger in terms of damage and HP.
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3 Steps To Evolve Pokémon Cards In TCG
To evolve your Pokémon during a TCG game, there are only a few steps you need to follow once you start a game. Luckily though, evolution rules are the same for both casual and competitive play:
1. Gather Necessary Cards For Evolution
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have all the cards necessary for the evolution process. This includes the lower-stage form, the higher-stage form, and any items that add to the process.
2. Place The Basic Form In The Arena
As the play commences, place down the basic form of your active Pokémon cards onto the arena. Make sure you have its subsequent evolution in your hand if you plan on evolving the Basic card. Most pre-made decks often hold all the evolution forms of a particular card, so if you have them in your hand, wait till you can draw up to its evolution.
3. Place The Direct Evolution On Top Of The Pokémon Card
You can evolve your Pokémon card by placing its direct evolution on top of it. You can only do this during your turn, the only exception being the first turn. Evolving Pokémon does not use up a turn, but you can only evolve one stage per turn. Bear in mind that you can still attack and use cards after evolving your Pokémon, so don’t end up wasting your turn.
To evolve your Pokémon, there are a number of effects and item cards that can accelerate or add bonuses to the Evolution process. Therefore, make sure to look at the descriptions of each card before undergoing the evolution process. Also, keep in mind that evolving your Pokémon will cure all status conditions, but the damage figure you’ve taken up to that point is retained.
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Mega Evolution
Mega evolution is a game mechanic that was introduced in the X&Y generations, which allowed certain Pokémon to undergo an even more powerful evolution. These Mega Evolutions are different from regular evolutions since they use up the entire turn, so you have to wait until your next move to use your Mega Evolved card.
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